The mental and physical well being of millions of people have been seriously compromised by the Covid-19 pandemic. When they travel again, they will need much more than sun, sea and sundowners to undo the damage.
Wellness might have had an important place in the tourism product mix for decades, but it should today be factored into the wider tourism offering as a standard.
Creating physical, spiritual and mental wellness packages that promote prolonged periods of positive downtime give destinations – and the hotels, resorts and retreats within them – an exceptional opportunity to attract new and lucrative traveller audiences this year.
This is not simply because of the effects of Covid. Younger generations are more consistently aware of mental health issues than those that have come before them. But the global health emergency has accelerated the process, producing major pent-up demand for wellness products.
In just one example, the UK’s Mental Health Foundation says that three in four people in the country have felt so stressed in the last year that they have felt 'overwhelmed' or 'unable to cope'.
But it also means that much of the travelling public of the near future will have had the time and the budget to invest in making themselves feel better. Now is the time to launch creative, multi-platform campaigns that inform and nurture these audiences about wellness travel.
By combining considered products and promotional pull, curiosity can be efficiently converted to bookings.
Customer journeys through the booking process and promotional campaigns need to be enhanced - improving a destination’s visibility on the wellness radar.
Right now, searching for a wellness retreat is like falling down a rabbit hole of outdated sites, with each click driving further anxiety and confusion. Promotions need to be streamlined and search journeys need to open a door to an accessible and beautiful online experience.
The same goes for a destination’s social media presence. By creating an inspiring look and feel that works in perfect synchronicity with campaign content, it is possible to resonate with users and generate a desire for a wellness escape. We should not only tap into our audiences but have them convert like never before.
